Russian military vessels are anchored at a navy base in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea, February 27, 2014 (Reuters) / Reuters

The movements of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s armored vehicles in Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea are in full compliance with Russian-Ukrainian agreements, Moscow has said.

Russia has passed a note regarding the maneuvers to a
minister-counselor at Ukraine’s embassy in Moscow, Ruslan
Nimchinsky, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement
Friday.

On Thursday, the Russian charge d'affaires in Kiev, Andrey
Vorobyev, was summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and
handed two diplomatic notes - one on the latest events in Ukraine
and one asking Russia’s Black Sea fleet units to abstain from
movements outside their deployment sites.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry has passed an reply to the
Ukrainian side on the movement of the Black Sea Fleet armored
vehicles in Crimea, which is caused by the necessity to provide
security for the Black Sea fleet’s naval deployment areas on
Ukrainian territory, which happens in full accordance with basic
Russian-Ukrainian agreements on the Black Sea Fleet,” a
statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website
reads.

Meanwhile, the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s press service dismissed
reports that Russian troops were blocking Belbek airport near the
port of Sevastopol in Crimea.

"No units of the Black Sea Fleet were deployed in the area of
Belbek [airport], nor did they take any part in blocking
it," a statement from the fleet's press service reads.

The comment followed reports in some media that the airport was
being patrolled by a group of unidentified armed people. It was
alleged that Russian troops arrived to “prevent the arrival
of some militants,” Interfax news agency reported.

On Friday evening, Crimean self-defense squads raided the
international airport in the republic’s capital, Simferopol,
searching for Ukrainian airborne troops. They found no military
personnel inside, but are still patrolling the grounds of the airport. Airport
security said the squads are helping to ensure safety at the
airport.

Crimea events result of Ukraine’s internal policies – Moscow

Russia says that the latest developments in Crimea come as a
result of internal political processes in Ukraine.

“The Russian side considers the events on the Autonomous
Republic of Crimea a consequence of recent internal political
processes in Ukraine and, in that context, sees no necessity to
hold urgent bilateral consultations which were proposed by the
Ukrainian side,” the Foreign Ministry said after a meeting
with Ruslan Nimchinsky.

On Friday, Russian diplomats met in Moscow with Nimchinsky, and
handed him a reply. Earlier, Kiev proposed holding urgent
bilateral consultations on the events in Crimea – based on the
Agreement on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership signed in
1997.